


get with it

by dharmainitiative



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Bickering, Idiots in Love, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dharmainitiative/pseuds/dharmainitiative
Summary: The world knows a lot about Derek Malik Nurse. They know that he graduated at the top of his class from Harvard, that he has an affinity for poetry, and that he’s one of the leads of Northanger, the #1 cable drama in the nation, which has garnered him instant fame and heartthrob status.What the world doesn’t know about Derek is that he’s a huge pain in William Poindexter’s ass.
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter
Comments: 38
Kudos: 307





	get with it

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jennycaakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennycaakes/gifts).



> if you read this and think to yourself, "Hmm, this reminds me of that one episode of sonny with a chance," congratulations! That's exactly what it's based on!!!
> 
> Happy birthday Jenn!! <3

The world knows a lot about Derek Malik Nurse. They know that he graduated at the top of his class from Harvard, has an affinity for poetry, and that he’s a major hockey fan. He’s also, of course, one of the leads of _Northanger_ , the #1 cable drama in the nation, which has garnered him instant fame and heartthrob status. He even made the cover of _People_ magazine a couple months ago.

What the world doesn’t know about Derek Nurse is that he’s a huge pain in William Poindexter’s ass.

When Will was hired as an assistant on  _ Bitty Bakes _ — world-renowned baker Eric Bittle’s show — he’d been ecstatic. Sure, if he’d been asked five years ago if he ever anticipated co-starring on a network TV baking show, he'd have laughed out loud. But baking is something he’s grown to love over the years, something that makes him feel relaxed, something he feels almost good at. He never imagined he’d be good enough to do it for a living, much less on national TV, but he’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

But the day he arrived on set and realized that  _ Bitty Bakes  _ shares the same filming lot as  _ Northanger,  _ his excitement had dimmed.

It’s not that he had anything against the show, necessarily. He’s never even seen it. Obviously. It’s not like he’d ever be interested in watching a _Riverdale_ knockoff. It’s just that when you have to interact with the show’s irritatingly attractive cast members every day at lunch, or walk past posters of the show with the cast’s irritatingly attractive faces plastered on nearly every wall on set, or listen to camera crew and set visitors gush over the _Northanger_ cast without ever giving you the time of day, it can get pretty annoying. 

What doesn’t help is that the cast of  _ Northanger  _ are pretty annoying on their own. Most of them are loud, or weird, or pretentious, or some mixture of the three. And just because their show is popular and based off of  _ literature _ and was nominated for an Emmy once doesn’t make any of them better than anyone else. They didn’t even  _ win  _ the Emmy.

Will supposes that if he’s being honest, most of the cast isn’t all bad. Jack Zimmermann, who plays Darcy, is sort of quiet and awkward, but he seems nice enough. And Justin, Shitty, and Lardo are all definitely a little weird, but they’re also really friendly.

The real problem is Derek Nurse, who’s pretentious, annoying, and always telling Will to “chill,” even though that’s always guaranteed to make him more worked up than he was in the first place. And despite how infuriating Derek is in real life, the  _ Northanger  _ fans are totally obsessed with him. They’re always going on about how handsome and smart and introspective he is, even though once Will saw Derek trip in the lunchroom on set and spill spaghetti all over himself. They have no idea how infuriating Derek is in real life, but Will can’t count how many times he’s been late to set because security had to block off the hallways backstage so Derek’s “groupies” wouldn’t break into his dressing room. It’s ridiculous, because how is Will the only person who realizes what a nuisance he is?

“I really don’t know what your issue with him is,” Chris Chow, filming editor for  _ Bitty Bakes  _ and Will’s best friend, said once, cutting off one of Will’s many tirades. “He’s actually a pretty nice guy.”

Will had grumbled and rolled his eyes, but it’s getting to the point where he has to admit that Chris isn’t entirely wrong. Derek is still undeniably annoying and a pain in Will’s ass, but at times he can admit that Derek isn’t all bad. There was once a time where they were constantly at each other’s throats, but their arguments now are more playful bickering than anything else. There are even times where Will almost wonders if he and Derek are maybe actually friends.

But despite the fact that his stance on Derek may or may not have changed, he still hates  _ Northanger  _ with a vengeance. Firstly, the fact that the  _ Northanger  _ cast thinks they’re better than  _ Bitty Bakes  _ just because it’s artsy and based off of Jane Austen and didn’t actually win the Emmy that one time really pisses him off. And secondly,  _ Northanger  _ is just bad. It’s cheesy, generic bullshit that churns out season after season, even after the show runners run out of ideas, just so they can make the network some money. 

Infuriatingly, his coworkers don’t agree with him. He’s pretty sure most of them even like it — Adam Birkholtz claims to watch the show religiously. But Will refuses to even touch it, which is why he feels so betrayed when he comes home from the grocery store one Saturday to find Chris and Caitlin watching  _ Northanger  _ on the TV in their living room.

“Um…it’s not what it looks like?” Chris says when Will’s narrowed eyes land on him and Cait.

“Are you seriously fraternizing with the enemy? In  _ my  _ house?” Will demands.

“Okay firstly, this is our house too,” Cait says, although she’s avoiding his gaze. “And second of all, this show is  _ seriously  _ entertaining.”

Will blinks, still in shock. “Wow. I can’t believe I was betrayed like this by my roommates, my closest friends, who  _ took me under their wing  _ when I needed somewhere to live. And after all the time I graciously ignored the loud sex they were having at 2 am and — ”

“Oh my God, shut up,” Chris shouts, tossing a pillow at Will’s head. “You’re so  _ dramatic.  _ You need to stop hanging out with Derek so much.”

Will scoffs and does not blush, thank you very much. “How long has this been going on?”

Chris has the audacity to look a little ashamed. “We binge it together when you’re not here.”

“We’re about to start season three,” Cait adds.

Will throws up his hands in disbelief.

“You know, if you actually watched it rather than being vehemently against it without ever seeing an episode, I think you’d like it,” Cait says.

“I can guarantee that if I watched it, I’d find it more annoying than I already do.”

Cait raises her eyebrows at that, a challenge in her eyes, and that’s how Will finds himself spending the afternoon in front of the TV, sandwiched on the couch between his two best friends.

At first, the show is everything Will expected it to be. It revolves around a town called Northanger, which is inhabited by so many ghosts and demons and cults that Will isn’t sure why none of the residents have moved out. The residents of the town are the main characters of the show and they are, predictably, based on Jane Austen characters. Darcy (Jack) and Lizzy (Camilla Collins) are the main characters with the most screen time, but it’s an ensemble show, so the other characters take up a bit of screen time as well. Derek’s character, Austin Knight, who is clearly based on Mr. Knightley, spends most of his time in the library researching the ghost of the week, or rolling his eyes at the antics of his best friend Emma Woods, played by March Grady. The show is filled with all the cheesy dialogue, pointed Jane Austen references, unrealistic plotlines, and terrible CGI Will assumed it would be, and as he watches the first few episodes of season three, he can hardly believe that Chris and Cait have already put themselves through two seasons of this.

But by the fourth or fifth episode, he’s starting to think the show isn’t completely unbearable, and the more time he spends watching Derek, Jack, Shitty, and the others react to the strange happenings in the town, the more invested in the plot he gets. There’s even a scene in the sixth episode that’s scary enough that he actually jumps, and when Cait sends him a knowing look, he pointedly ignores it.

But the aspect of the show that he’s most surprised he’s intrigued by is the romance. Obviously, the Darcy and Lizzy relationship, with their banter and wit, is entertaining; Will took an English Lit class in college, okay? He knows they’re iconic. 

But what  _ really  _ takes him by surprise is the dynamic between Derek — er, Austin and Emma. They’re minor characters, so they have less development than Darcy and Lizzy, but Will finds himself just as invested regardless. Austin and Emma are a typical slow burn, will they won’t they pairing, with a friendship built on both bickering and understanding, and despite himself, Will finds himself eager to know if they’re actually going to get together or not. The finale of season three revolves around the gang trying to put a stop to the Big Bad Ghost that’s been terrorizing them the entire season, but a main component of the episode also has Emma finally realizing her feelings for Austin, and just as Will’s wondering if this is the episode where she tells him, the screen goes dark and the credits roll.

“Wait, that’s  _ it? _ ” He demands.

There’s no response, and when Will turns to Cait and Chris, they’re both watching him with barely restrained glee. “What?”

Cait grins like the cat that ate the canary. “You’re invested in this,” she accuses. “You _ like  _ it.”

And, with a dawning sense of horror, Will realizes she’s right. He’s spent the past ten episodes at the edge of his seat, eager to find out why this ghost is haunting the town and when Emma and Austin will admit they have feelings for each other, and despite his best intentions, he got invested.

Still, he tries to deny it. “I’m not invested,” he insists. “I’m simply pointing out that ending the season on that note further adds to why this TV show is awful.” 

Chris shakes his head, and his grin rivals Cait’s. “Whatever you say.”

“I mean it! I’m — ” Will tries to insist, but he’s cut off by Chris and Cait’s snickering, and finally, he gives up. “You tell Derek about this, and you’re a dead man.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Chris says. Will can tell he’s attempting to sound solemn, but the effect is lost when he begins to snicker again, and then of course Cait has to join in.

His friends are the worst, honestly.

  
  
  
  


Will is forced to spend the remainder of his weekend dealing with the fact that the show he’s spent years of his life hating isn’t as bad as he thought it was. And to make matters worse, Will can’t stop thinking about what will happen next. Will Lizzy admit to Darcy that she returns his feelings? Will they save Catharine Morland from being possessed by a demon? And most importantly, when the hell are Austin and Emma going to get together?

It’s not until Monday morning, when he’s grabbing breakfast from catering and sees Derek sitting at a table alone, that he realizes he doesn’t have to wait until the next season to come out to get all these answers. He can just  _ ask.  _

But is he really ready to admit to Derek that the show he’s had a personal vendetta against for years is something he’s become rapidly obsessed with? Because Derek would hold that over him for  _ ages. _

After several minutes of debating, he finally decides,  _ Fuck it.  _ He can handle Derek’s chirping. What he can’t handle is waiting six months to find out what happens next on  _ Northanger. _

So, decision made, he takes his plate over to Derek’s table, plops in the empty chair across from him, and says, “I have a confession to make.”

Derek lifts one eyebrow. “Good morning to you, too.”

“It’s embarrassing, though,” Will warns him. “You can’t laugh. Or chirp me.”

“I make no promises.”

Will rolls his eyes, then takes a deep breath. “Okay, so, I maybe sort of realized that I...that I might actually…” 

Not to be dramatic, but this is the hardest thing he’s ever had to say, and Derek watching him, expectant and sort of amused, is just making it worse. Seriously, he’s going to get chirped for this for the  _ rest of his life.  _ But he has to know.

So, finally, Will musters his courage and says, “I just have to ask. When is it gonna happen?”

Derek blinks. “And by  _ it  _ you mean…?”

Will sighs, annoyed that Derek is making him spell this out. “By  _ it  _ I mean, when are you going to finally ask out the person you’re obviously meant to be with?”

Derek’s eyes widen. “And that is…?”

“Oh, don’t make me come out and say it. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I think we both know this has been building up for...what, three years now?”

Derek’s entire demeanor changes. When Will had first sat down, he’d been slumped over, chin in hand, the picture of chill and casual. Now, he sits bolt upright, so fast that he drops the croissant he was holding. When he opens his mouth to speak, no sound comes out, and after a few tries, all he manages is, “Oh.” 

Will blinks, because this is not the reaction he expected. By now, Will figured he’d be announcing to the entire room that Will was going to start a  _ Northanger  _ fan blog, or something. 

“Oh?” He echoes.

“Well, I just...I just didn’t know  _ you  _ knew there was something building up.”

Will pointedly avoids his gaze. “It was a recent development.”

Will waits for the chirping, but it doesn’t come. If anything, Derek looks stunned, which is maybe a pretty accurate reaction, after all. It’s not like Will hasn’t made it explicitly clear that he’s against anything having to do with  _ Northanger.  _ To be actively rooting for information about the show is a pretty far cry from that.

“Look, I’m not, like, a romantic like you,” Will continues, because it doesn’t look like Derek’s going to say anything anytime soon. “But I just think that when two people are clearly meant to be together, then they should be.”

Derek’s mouth parts in a surprised smile. “I don’t know. That sounds pretty romantic to me.”

Will flushes. “Shut up.”

“Hey,” Derek says, suddenly serious. “It’s okay. I mean, I feel the same way.”

“Well, great. So, are you going to do something about it?”

Derek grins even wider, now looking almost a little awestruck. “Uh, yeah, I guess I will.”

And before Will can push back his weird reaction and beg for more spoilers from _N_ _ orthanger  _ season four, Derek is asking, “So, will you go out with me?”

Will promptly chokes on the piece of toast he’d been chewing. “What?”

“What?” Derek repeats, clearly confused, although there’s no way he’s as confused as Will feels because,  _ what? _

Will sits and replays their conversation, and as he does, a feeling of horror and panic blooms in his chest. “Did you think I was talking about...us?”

“Uh, yeah?” Derek says, like it’s obvious.

Will swallows. Even as he watches people pass by their table, it feels like everything is frozen, like they’re in a TV show and the screen is stilled and someone’s playing a record scratch sound effect over and over.

“I was talking about Austin and Emma,” Will says finally. “On your show.”

Derek’s face does several complicated things at once. The smile on his face fades away, replaced by confusion, crestfallen disappointment, and then panic. And then, just as quickly, it’s all gone, replaced by a look of cool indifference, the chill facade that Will has hated ever since he met Derek Nurse.

“So was I,” Derek says, too quickly.

Will bites his lip. “But you said — ”

“I was joking, obviously,” he says, and no one else would be likely to notice, but there’s still an edge of panic in his eyes. “That was me practicing my lines for our next episode. Where Emma and Austin finally get together. So.”

And for an actor, Derek is a pretty terrible liar.

“Derek — ” He starts.   
  
“I mean, obviously, yeah, that’s what I was doing,” Derek continues, quickly cutting Will off. “Why would I even ask you out in the first place?”

The words that Will had been going to say die on his lips, and he suddenly finds himself feeling bitter and angry and defensive. And maybe, although no one ever needs to know, a little humiliated. Because what right does Derek have to say that and make Will look like an idiot when they both know that’s exactly what he’d been doing? 

Apparently Derek’s words catch up to him, because he quickly blanches. “Wait, I didn’t mean — ”

“No, you’re right,” Will grits out. “It’s not like I’d ever say yes, anyway.”

Derek makes a face that Will can’t interpret before he’s quickly sneering back at him. “Please. You’d be  _ honored  _ to go on a date with me.”

“Congratulations, you caught me,” Will says dryly. “I’ve always wanted to be one of your stupid groupies.”

Derek fakes a gasp. “Wow, really? Thank you  _ so much  _ for telling me. Justin owes me five bucks.”

Will feels his face get hot. “God, you’re so — ” But he’s so angry he’s stammering too hard to actually finish the sentence. Finally, he stands up, eager to get out of here before he makes an even bigger fool of himself. “I’m going back to set. So I can interact with people I can actually hold a conversation with.”

“Good,” Derek says, because he’s petty.

But Will is even more petty. “Good,” he repeats, but louder.

“Fine,” says Derek.

“Fine!” Will shouts back.

And then, because people at the surrounding tables are starting to stare, he shoves his chair in and marches out of the room.

  
  
  
  


“Hey, have you seen Bitty’s lucky spatula?”

Will has stuck his head into the supply closet, where Chris is bent over and rifling through one of the many boxes on the floor. “Nope,” he calls back without even looking up.

“Damn,” Will says, because they film their next episode in an hour, and Bitty’s going to kill him if he doesn’t find the spatula soon. Still, something makes him linger in the doorway of the closet and say, as casually as he can, “Hey, uh, have you spoken to — ”

“Yes, I have,” Chris interrupts, still not looking up. “And yes, I think you should apologize to him.”

“ _ What? _ ” Will demands. “I didn’t even do anything!”

At this, Chris finally looks up, turning around to give him a dubious look.

Will sighs. “Okay, but he started it.”

Chris groans. “God, it's like being best friends with two five-year-olds.”

Will glares at him, but doesn’t object, because, well. He has a point. “What did he tell you, anyway?”

“I mean, he didn’t tell me exactly what went on, just that you two had a fight or something. I just assumed you said something that made him upset.”

“Why?”

Chris shrugs. “I don’t know. He just seemed sad.”

“He’s being dramatic,” Will grumbles, but even as he says it, he feels guilt churning in his stomach. There was probably a point in their argument where he’d crossed the line, and despite how much Will wants to have the last word, a part of him is more bothered by the fact that Derek hasn’t talked to him for two days than he is by the argument itself.

Chris frowns. “What  _ did  _ happen, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Will admits, because honestly, he doesn’t. “It’s...complicated.”

“Then un-complicate it,” Chris says, like it’s easy. Will opens his mouth to argue, but Chris cuts him off. “Look, all I’m saying is that despite how much you deny it, you guys are friends, and I know you’re as bummed about the fact that he’s avoiding you as he is right now. So just talk it out.”

Will hesitates, because as much as he wants to disagree, to insist that he’s not “bummed,” that they’re not friends, that Derek is a huge pain in his ass, he knows he’d be lying. Because Derek  _ is  _ a pain in his ass, but he’s also smart, and kind, and always so good with the kids who win contests to visit the  _ Northanger  _ set. And Derek makes Will laugh harder than anyone else he knows, and always texts Will when the catering team is serving chicken nuggets, and last month they had a Marvel movie marathon at Derek's apartment even though Will knows for a fact that Derek doesn't actually care about Marvel movies.

So, yeah, they’re friends, and yeah, Will sort of misses talking to him, even though that's embarrassing, because it’s only been like three days. To deny any of that would be pointless. Chris is usually right about these things, anyway.

So finally, Will sighs. “Okay. I’ll talk to him.” 

  
  
  
  
  


When Chris texts him around lunch time the next day to let him know that it’s pasta day, Will knows today is the perfect day to fix things with Derek. He’s been avoiding Will, and consequently, lunch, all week. But if he knows Derek — and he’s pretty sure he does — then he knows there’s no way he’d ever miss pasta day.

His full plan is that he’ll find him at lunch, apologize, and hope that things just quickly go back to normal. It’s not much of a plan, granted, but it’s straight-forward enough that he’s hoping it won’t backfire.

What he doesn’t count on is entering the lunch room to find Derek sitting with March at the table he usually sits at with Will, openly flirting with her. 

March is gorgeous, no one can deny that. And Will doesn’t talk to her much, but every time he has, she’s been nothing but warm and kind. And he knows firsthand her chemistry with Derek onscreen is undeniable, but apparently it’s just as good off screen as well, because she’s laughing and hanging onto every word Derek is saying, and Derek is grinning right back at her. It’s one of his typical grins, a mixture of amusement and smugness, but there’s something genuine there too, and it leaves a bitter taste in Will’s mouth.

Because yeah, Will came here today to fix things between him and Derek so everything could go back to normal. But there’s a small part of him that’s been replaying their conversation in his head over and over again ever since Monday, focusing on Derek’s awestruck grin, his breathless laugh, the genuine honesty in his voice when he’d asked Will out. And there’s a small part of him that’s been hoping that after everything got sorted out, Derek would ask him again.

It’s not until now, seeing Derek with March, who’s a beautiful actress far more in Derek’s league than Will could ever be, that he realizes he’s a total idiot.

Will isn’t sure how long he stands there, staring at Derek and March with a sinking feeling in his stomach. But when Derek finally tears his eyes away from March, he looks up and his eyes meet Will’s from across the lunchroom. And as Derek opens his mouth to call to him, Will turns away to save himself further humiliation.

  
  
  
  
  


It’s Justin and Adam’s fault. That’s Will’s story, and he’s sticking to it.

Despite the fact that everyone insists that the rivalry between  _ Bitty Bakes  _ and  _ Northanger  _ exists only in Will’s mind, there’s been a prank war going on between the two casts since long before Will was hired. There’s never been any malice behind the prank wars, at least as far as he’s aware, but people on set get  _ very  _ into it. Most commonly, a cast member from  _ Bitty Bakes  _ is pranking someone from  _ Northanger,  _ or vice versa, but there have been times where two people join forces to target someone else. 

This happens most frequently with Justin Oluransi, who plays Tilney in  _ Northanger,  _ and Adam Birkholtz, one of the other stars of  _ Bitty Bakes.  _ Justin and Adam are best friends but in the weirdest way possible, where they’re attached to the hip and so in sync that they almost do things in unison sometimes. Will’s pretty sure they’re dating, actually, but he’s never gotten the courage to ask. Adam and Justin are famous for their pranks, and he’s pretty sure everyone on set has been pranked by them at least once, even the exec of the network when he visited last month. But Will tends to stay out of all that. He has more important things to do, and anyway, prank drama is the  _ last  _ thing he wants to get involved in.

But when Justin and Adam ask him to help him prank Derek the day after pasta day, what can he say but yes, after the week they’ve had?

The prank is simple enough. All he has to do is break into the  _ Northanger  _ prop closet and replace Derek’s beanie for his Austin Knight costume with a weird duck hat Adam had thrust at him and refused to let him ask questions about. It doesn’t take too long to sneak inside the closet when no one’s looking, and just as he’s finally found Derek’s hat and is just going to replace it, when he hears the door to the prop closet open, and turns to see none other than Derek Nurse standing in the doorway.

Derek stares. “What are you doing in here?”

Will looks down at the weird and slightly creepy duck hat in his hands, and then back up at Derek. “Uh...it’s not what it looks like?”

Derek opens his mouth, but Will never finds out what he was going to say, because he’s interrupted by the sound of the door to the prop closet closing behind him. The door that’s infamous around set for locking from the outside. The door that had locked, leaving Shitty trapped inside for hours, nearly a year ago. The door that Will had very pointedly left propped open with a door-stopper, in hopes of avoiding the same fate. 

So when Derek turns around to jiggle the handle and the door doesn’t budge, Will thinks his reaction is nothing if not appropriate.

“Derek,” he says, as Derek turns around, a look of dread on his face. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“Just chill, alright? I’ll call someone and they can get us out of here,” he says, digging in the pocket of his cardigan for his phone. Then he tries digging through the other one. It’s not until he’s stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning up empty that he starts to look worried.

“You don’t have your phone?” Will hisses.

“I thought I did!”

“I can’t  _ believe  _ you!”

“Well, where’s yours?” Derek demands.

“Charging in my dressing room!”

“Well how is that my fault?”

“It’s not,” Will says, slowly and deliberately, barely able to contain the anger in his voice. “What  _ is  _ your fault is the fact that the two of us are  _ locked in here. _ ”

“Are you kidding me? You shouldn’t even be here in the first place! Why do you have a  _ duck  _ in your hand?”

Will had nearly forgotten about the duck. “Justin and Adam,” he mutters.

Derek scoffs. “Let me guess. They wanted to pull a prank on me, and your petty ass jumped at the chance to get involved?”

Which is exactly what happened, actually, but there’s no way in hell Will’s admitting to it. “I am  _ not  _ petty.”

“Right.”

“What the hell?  _ You’re  _ the one who’s been avoiding me since Monday!”

“So what if I have?” Derek says, but he won’t quite meet his gaze.

Suddenly, Will feels exhausted. The stress of the week, of wondering what’s going on, is finally catching up to him, and he’s tired of fighting with Derek when he hardly knows what they’re fighting about anymore.

So Will decides to do the right thing. He decides to apologize.

“Look,” he starts. “I’m...sorry. I said some really rude things on Monday, and I shouldn’t have, and, you know, I’d like it if we could move past all of it.”

Derek blinks, clearly taken aback.

“Plus, I’ve had a meme saved on my phone that I’ve been wanting to send to you since like, Tuesday.”

Derek snorts out a surprised laugh, and Will feels himself smile, too. “Tuesday, huh?”

“It’s a pretty good meme,” Will admits.

“Sounds like it.” Then Derek sighs. “I’m sorry, too. I was really rude too, and I made things really awkward, and then I avoided you instead of dealing with it, which probably wasn’t the best course of action, so, yeah. Moving past all of that sounds pretty good to me, too.”

“So, we’re good?” Will clarifies, and Derek nods. He feels an embarrassingly overwhelming sense of relief flood through him. “Okay. Good.”

“Good,” Derek echoes, and Will tries to stop it, but he feels his face crack into another grin.

It’s short lived, though, because they’re still stuck in a prop close with no means of escape, and few ideas on how to get out. They take turns shouting and banging on the door for a few minutes, but the prop closet is located in a part of the lot that people don’t frequently visit. In all likelihood, they’re going to be in here a while.

Still. At least they’re not arguing anymore.

So Will makes himself comfortable and settles down on the floor, leaning against the shelves behind him, and Derek sits across from him, stretching his legs out so that they tangle with Will’s, which Will is very busy not turning into A Thing. 

For a long moment they’re quiet, because Will can’t quite think of anything to say. Luckily, Derek thinks of it for him.

“So. You’re a  _ Northanger  _ fan now, huh?”

Will covers his face in his hands and groans.

“I always knew this day would come, you know,” he continues, and Will can’t see him, but he can still hear the smirk in his voice. “So, spill the tea. Who’s your favorite character? Which part scared you the most? Are you Team Darzzy or Team Austemma?”

Will peeks out behind his hands. “Those are the ship names? Really? Those are  _ terrible. _ ”

Derek nudges Will’s foot with his. “Answer the question, Poindexter.”

“Fine,” Will sighs. “If you  _ must  _ know, I’m Team...Austemma.”

He nearly retches saying out loud, but Derek doesn’t make fun of him. He actually looks surprised. “Really?”

Will shrugs, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “Well, yeah. I don’t know. The bickering and the will they, won’t they stuff...it’s fun. It’s interesting. It makes even more sense when you know that…that you and March are, you know. A thing. So.” He swallows, and then quickly changes the subject before Derek realizes he’s being very weird about this. “But Lizzy is my favorite character, hands down, and that one ghost in season three was — ”

“Wait, what?” Derek says suddenly.

“Okay, no offense to you or anything, but let’s not act like Lizzy isn’t objectively the best character in the whole — ”

“No, not that,” Derek interrupts, shaking his head. “You think me and March are...together?”

Will blinks, feeling a mixture of confusion, embarrassment, and something like hope churning in his stomach. “Are you...not?”

Derek laughs, but Will doesn’t, so he stops. “Wait, are you serious?”

“Yes?”

Derek stares, and doesn’t say anything for a long time. When he finally does, it’s simply, “Holy shit.”

Will frowns. “I don’t — ”

“I mean, when you just didn’t say anything about it, I thought it was because you just wanted to move past it and forget the whole thing,” Derek continues, almost like he hadn’t heard him. “I didn’t realize you were just an idiot.”

“Hey — ”

But once again, Derek interrupts him. “Will. Me and March are  _ not  _ a thing.”

Will blinks again. “But — but I saw the two of you, yesterday.”

“Yeah?” Derek lifts his eyebrows, like Will is speaking Greek or something. “We were eating lunch.”

“You were flirting with her,” Will insists.

“No, I wasn’t. I was eating lunch,” Derek repeats.

“I…” Will starts, but he’s at a loss for words. “You’re not...dating her?”

“No.”

This response is so shocking that he isn’t quite sure how to react. Since noon yesterday, Will has been reconstructing everything he thought he knew about Derek, and him and Derek together. Now, he has to struggle to unconstruct all of it. Throughout all of this Derek stares at him, expectant, until Will finally realizes he expects him to say something.

Finally, he manages to ask dumbly, “Why?”

Derek snorts. “Firstly, because March has been dating April for like a year now,” he says. “And secondly, because I like  _ you. _ ”

It’s a joke, it has to be. And it’s not a very good one, because it’s the second time Derek’s pulled this joke in this week.

“What?” He asks breathlessly.

“Will, come on, you’re smarter than this,” Derek says with a laugh, though it sounds a little strained. “I literally asked you to go on a date with me on  _ Monday _ .”

“I thought you were joking!” Will splutters out.

“Why would I joke about something like that?”

“I don’t know!” Will shouts, defensive. “But that’s what you said! You said there’s no way you would ever — ”

“Are you kidding? That was a  _ lie,  _ obviously, I was just trying to save my own ass!”

“Well, how was I supposed to know?”

It’s supposed to come out as dismissive, but there's too much doubt in his words, and suddenly Derek looks serious.  "Will, hey,” he says, and slides forward, so close that Will almost wants to look away, but he can’t. Not when this feels like the first time he actually has permission to look. 

“Dude,” Derek says, and before Will can tell him off for calling him ‘dude’ in what is the middle of a clearly romantic conversation, he’s saying, “I am so ridiculously into you. It is not chill.”

Will feels his face burn. “Shut up,” he mumbles.

“I’m serious,” Derek insists. “The entire cast of  _ Northanger  _ is sick of me talking about you and bringing you up in every conversation and weaving freckle metaphors into every poem I write.  _ Everyone  _ on this lot knows I’m crazy about you. Everyone in the world, probably, except you, and no offense, but you are a  _ massive idiot,  _ because I have been very, very obvious about it."

Will's not sure, but he doesn't think his face has ever been this red before. It feels like he's on fire. "It hasn't been nearly as obvious as you think it has."

"Seriously? You’re the only person I let eat fries off my plate. I invited you over to my apartment last month to have a Marvel movie marathon when I don’t even like Marvel movies but I know _you_ do. I once cornered you after filming _Bitty Bakes_ every day for a week because I wanted to keep arguing with you about why dark chocolate is better than white chocolate. I could go on, by the way.”

Will opens his mouth to protest, but no sound comes out. His brain has been reconstructing and deconstructing his worldview so many times in the past twenty-four hours, he's surprised the world is still turning at all.

“The great Dark vs. White Chocolate debate was almost three years ago,” he finally manages to get out.

“Yeah,” Derek says. “I know.”

Will’s eyes widen at the implication, but Derek, who’s much braver than Will could ever hope to be, doesn’t stop looking at him. And just as Will’s starting to realize how close they really are, and how easy it would be to lean forward and close the distance between them, the door to the prop closet swings open.

“ _ There  _ you two are,” Lardo says, and then lifts an eyebrow when she takes in their compromising position. “Uh...what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Derek says, scrambling backwards, just as Will says, “Uh, prank.”

“Uh-huh,” Lardo says, not bothering to hide her smirk. “Come on, Derek, you’re supposed to be on set in ten minutes.”

Derek gets to his feet, and Will follows suit. Apparently the magic of the quiet, intimate, and honest space created in the prop closet is gone, because when they’re leaving, Derek will barely look at him. So before they can return back to a week of awkward avoidance, Will grabs Derek by the arm and stops him, and Derek turns.

“Yes,” Will says.

Derek’s eyebrows furrow together in confusion. “Huh?”

“On Monday, you asked if I’d go out with you, and you didn’t give me time to answer,” Will says. “The answer is yes.”

Derek’s face slowly breaks into a grin, and it’s not the same as the one Will saw Derek give March yesterday. This smile is far more honest, full of both fragile hope and such open fondness and affection that Will feels his breath catch in his throat.

“Yeah?” Derek asks.

Will shrugs, and he knows he’s blushing, but he doesn’t mind that much. “I've had a ridiculously embarrassing crush on you for pretty much forever, so. Yeah.”

Derek laughs a little. “Yeah, well, same.”

Will feels himself smile. “Good.” 

Derek's grin grows even wider, if that were possible. 

“Good,” he says back.

**Author's Note:**

> nursey's fake teen drama Northanger is the best thing i've ever come up with i think


End file.
